Express - Teach Frankfort to Pay Their Debts
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Express
Kentucky Retired Teachers Association
www.krta.org | info@krta.org| 502-231-5802
May 2018
TRS Trustee Election:
This May the retired and active TRS membership will elect both an “active teacher” trustee and a “lay” trustee.
This year there is no incumbent “active teacher” trustee. However, there is one incumbent “lay” trustee
running for reelection. Both of the “active teacher” candidates and the “lay” candidates appear to be
qualified. Please vote! This election is important!
You should have received your retired teacher (yellow) ballot from TRS. For your vote to count the ballot must
be returned to KTRS by May 31, 2018.
TRS LAY TRUSTEE CANDIDATES FOR 2018
Hollis Gritton, of Union, was Wendell W. Lyons, of Louisville,
elected to the Board of is president of the Kentucky
Trustees in 2012 to fill an Credit Union League and
unexpired term and was Affiliates. He joined the league
elected to a full term in 2014. staff in 1985 as director of
He is a graduate of Georgetown public relations and
College; the Kentucky School of governmental affairs and later
Banking; and the Graduate served as executive vice
School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State president before becoming
University. From 1993 until his recent retirement, Mr. president in 2000. He also serves as president of
Gritton served as president and chief executive officer KYCUL Services Inc., the league’s service corporation.
(CEO) of Heritage Bank in Burlington. Previously, he He is a former member of the CUNA Board of
served as senior vice president of Liberty National of Directors and Executive Committee, a former
Northern Kentucky and as president and CEO of chairman of the Credit Union Legislative Action
Huntington National Bank of Boone County. He also Council and former chairman of the American
served on the boards of Community Bankers of Association of Credit Union Leagues. Prior to joining
Kentucky and the Kentucky Bankers Association. Mr. the league staff, Mr. Lyons was employed by the Fort
Gritton is a former math teacher at Boone Co. High Knox Federal Credit Union for nine and one-half years
School. His civic involvement includes: deacon and where he served as senior collection officer, loan
Sunday School teacher, Tri-City YMCA board member, officer and marketing director. Mr. Lyons holds a
Boone County Businessmen Association charter bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of
member, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Louisville.
Boone County treasurer, Boone County Police Merit
Board, United Way, Fine Arts Fund, American Heart
Association and American Cancer Society.
TRS ACTIVE TEACHER TRUSTEE CANDIDATES FOR 2017
Dr. Lynn Gannon Patterson, Dr. Nicola Mason, of
Murray, is an associate Morehead, is associate
professor in elementary professor of music education in
education in Murray State Eastern Kentucky
University’s College of University’s Department of
Education and Human Services. Curriculum & Instruction in the
Dr. Patterson, who teaches College of Education. She
math methods for elementary teachers and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky and a
classroom management classes, is a National Board master’s in music from Morehead State University.
Certified Teacher and a 2002 Presidential Awardee for Originally from South Africa, Dr. Mason previously
Excellence in Mathematics teaching. Previously, she taught K-12 general music and was band director at
taught first through sixth grades and was an the Collegiate School for Girls. Dr. Mason has been at
elementary school principal in Tennessee, where she EKU for seven years and serves on the Faculty Senate.
retired after 34 years in 2008. Dr. Patterson has been She teaches courses in music education, African music
at Murray for 10 years. She became a TRS member in and cultural competency. Her research focuses on
2008. Dr. Patterson holds an Ed.D. in administration music education and the use of play as a means of
and supervision from Tennessee State University, an exploring cultural competence. Dr. Mason is past
Ed.S. in administration and supervision from Middle president of the Kentucky Orff Schulwerk Association
Tennessee State University, an M.Ed. in special and serves on the editorial board of the The Orff Echo,
education from Middle Tennessee and a bachelor’s in the peer reviewed journal of the American Orff
speech and hearing from Middle Tennessee. Schulwerk Association.
High. She has been an EPSB teacher appointee and
served on Kentucky Department of Education
committees. In South Africa, Ms. Schneider
collaborated on an art program for an orphanage and
worked at a township school. She also traveled to
Brazil as a National Education Association Foundation
Global Learning Fellow.
For Your Information:
Retired teachers will receive a 1.5% COLA effective July 1, 2018.
2017-18 Membership News:
Our association grew for the 30th consecutive year! Again, in 2017-18 our membership growth remained
strong. The total membership of 31,969 is an increase of 736 over last year. The goal was 31,818, so you can
see we went 151 over. Our continued growth is noteworthy because many state retired teachers associations
continue looking for ways to reduce their losses rather than increase their numbers. Congratulations to all our
devoted members who helped make our continued membership growth possible.
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2018 General Assembly:
The 2018 General Assembly will be remembered for years to come. Retired teachers voiced their concerns in
record numbers fighting back "dark money" and an attack on our earned and promised retirement benefits.
When the dust settled the advocacy shown by members of KRTA was successful. Our Cost of Living
Adjustment will remain 1.5%, TRS will remain independent of the personnel cabinet, our health insurance will
remain intact and TRS was fully funded. Thanks for the historic advocacy shown by our members.
As we move forward, it is important to remember that elections have consequences, but they don’t have to be
high-handed or cold-hearted. I want to remind you that when we say KRTA is “political but not partisan” we
mean we will advocate in the political world on issues such as TRS full funding or Social Security fairness. We
will focus on Frankfort for state issues and Washington, D.C. for federal.
Social Security News:
KRTA continues to work on these Social Security issues: Mandatory Coverage, Windfall Elimination Provision
(WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Currently, discussion on the Social Security penalties, i.e.,
WEP is getting some attention. We continue to work at the national level with the Coalition to Preserve
Retirement Security (CPRS).
Retired Teacher Issues:
Politicians at the federal, state and local levels control our economic environment. This is an incontrovertible
fact. We cannot expect others to expend the time and energy to do the hard work of keeping our state
representatives and senators educated on our issues. We must do it. You must do it! Therefore, each of us
must resolve to engage our state representative and senator in conversation about how important our
pension and health care are to our financial security in our senior years.
One of KRTA's legislative priorities over the next two years will be to remind our legislators of the importance
of honoring their share of the shared responsibility plan. This biennium the state is only paying their share for
the first year but requiring TRS to pay for the second year out of the medical insurance trust fund. This is a
practice that cannot continue or it will put all retired teachers health insurance in jeopardy.
Our association continues to grow and prosper. Much of the credit for this success belongs to the many
dedicated volunteer leaders we have at the local, district and state levels. I wish I could thank each of you
personally. Since I cannot, please accept my written, “Thank you!” I could not be associated with a finer
group than Kentucky’s Retired Teachers.
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